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From Page to Screen: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale Hits Hulu in 2017

On Friday, Hulu announced that it will be adapting Margaret Atwood’s seminal 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale into a 10-episode series, set to air sometime in 2017. Elisabeth Moss—best known for her role on AMC’s Mad Men—will star as Offred, while Bruce Miller of The 100 fame will direct.

The series has already received a torrent of press: Forbesthinks it's a step in the right direction for the Netflix competitor, Slate praises its timeliness, while The Guardian asks important questions about its director. Atwood will join the show as a consulting producer.

The Handmaid’s Tale is what Atwood calls “speculative fiction”; set in a near-future theocratic dictatorship, it imagines a society in which women are mere property, reduced to purely reproductive roles. Offred is one such woman, a “handmaid” who is forced into the servitude of a high-ranking government official. Winner of the 1985 Governor General’s Award, and the inaugural 1987 Arthur C. Clarke Award, The Handmaid’s Tale is an icon of postmodern dystopian fiction.

Margaret Atwood has been a formidable literary force for more than 45 years. Twice winner of the prestigious Governor General’s Award, recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and Companion of the Order of Canada (its highest honour), she continues to innovate with each new work. And as a speaker, she can talk about nearly anything—literature, politics, creativity, artistry, social activism—with wit, wisdom, and vigour.